Dancehall Divas taps U.K. Master Makeup Artist for it’s first official season…
She’s inspired by old movies of the 40’s and 50’s era and iconic movie stars, the likes of Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Known for her exquisite taste for art, inspired by some of the world’s most renowned artists such as Andy Warhol and Picasso; Natasha Wright, the preppy and lively Master MUA (Make Up Artist) is a North West Londoner who loves vibrant colors, geometric shapes and lines just like her idols.
Natasha, a makeup artist for over 22 years studied at the prestigious ‘London College of Fashion’ where she earned a B.A with honors in Makeup Artistry. She cites her aunt and her three daughters for the early career inspiration. When asked to elaborate, Natasha said; “they were so glamorous. My aunt never left her home without her red lipstick and perfectly tailored outfits. She always dressed like a Hollywood movie star”. A devoted makeup enthusiast, Natasha takes her craft to heart. Like many MUAs’ of color, Natasha shared similar sentiments about the lack of diversity in the industry and the limited opportunities present to showcase her talent in the way it’s deserved. Despite the challenges, she still finds the joy in meeting like minded people with the same vision everyday, a big perk of the job she says. Natasha spoke fondly of her very first make up job. She said; “my first makeup job was for The Voice Newspaper which is a Black newspaper in the U.K. It was an article about Richard Blackwood, who’s a famous comedian here in London. My friend actually got me the gig, as she was the model in the shoot, so that was quite handy”.
The executives in charge of production of the new reality show Dancehall Divas was in need of a new supporting crew for it’s official first season, which premieres September 10th and Natasha was introduced to the team by her client and castmember Simone ‘Simma’ Smikle. Heather Elliott-Whitehead, EP of the series, says Natasha was a natural fit. In describing the relationship, Heather says, “Tasha as we call her is very sweet, endearing and super talented. When I realized that the girls really loved her work, I was so very thrilled. She has the ability to be in a space where different things are happening and still just get lost in her work, so all you will see and hear from her are the beautiful faces she’s commissioned. I like that she’s professional and focuses solely on her art. She’s able to drown out what’s around her and just work. The cast were comfortable with how she treated them respectfully and that was big for me. She listens and doesn’t pretend to know it all and her aura and energy was great. On a tight set, that’s a huge advantage. You always want to work with people who put their egos aside and just work with the team. That’s her. She was ready and willing to make the sacrifices necessary to just be part of the team and I was impressed with that. We are very lucky to have her.” The series first season was shot on location in Mississauga, Canada and Natasha like most of the cast and crew traveled to the world’s second largest country to make their mark in what is said to be the first dancehall lifestyle reality show.
We sat down with Natasha to discuss her work with the series cast and asked her to let us in on some valuable make up tips and a few of her favorite go to make up items.
EPG: Share some of your proven techniques for success as an MUA
NW: Some of my proven techniques when applying makeup would be — always start with skin care, making sure your skin is prepped very well. The best base for foundation is good skin. Always use a strobe cream, which is a light reflective moisturizer which gives the skin a dewy appearance. Then I’d start makeup by doing brows first, as this gives the face structure and is the main anchor for applying eye shadow. My favorite base for eye shadow is “Studio Finish Concealer from MAC which allows eye shadow to adhere to skin, and allows eye shadow color to pop. Always use a foundation primer which helps your foundation to last throughout the day and my favorite brand of primer would be ‘Prep and Prime’ from MAC. Last but not least, I use a face powder technique called baking. By that I mean applying powder with a damp “Beauty Blender”, which when applied with damp sponge this gives more of a heavier coverage — but when I want a lighter finish, I apply with a powder brush.
EPG: What are your top five Makeup Brands
NW: My 5 top makeup brands would be; MAC Cosmetics, Fenty, Pat McGrath, Huda Beauty and Morphe.
EPG: Share your top five make up tools in your kit
NW: My top 5 makeup tools; Beauty Blender, Brushes, Laura Mercier translucent setting powder, Eyebrow tweezers, MAC brow pencil in shade “Spiked”.
EPG: What’s your top five tips for everyday glam
NW: My top 5 everyday glam would be; Good Brows, Liquid eyeliner, Creme highlighter, Peachy toned Blusher, Matte Red Lip
EPG: List five things every girl should have in her personal makeup kit
NW: These are the five things every girl should have in there make up kit; Brow pencil or Brow soap, Foundation or concealer, Mascara,Eyeliner,Perfect nude lipstick and matching liner.
EPG: Tell us about your experience with the Dancehall Divas as their MUA
NW: My experience with the Divas has been a great one so far. What I enjoyed the most, was getting to know them all individually, as they all have different personalities and that’s was key to how I designed the individual looks for the women.
EPG: Can you share a bit of each of the women beauty attributes and how you worked with that to determine their best looks?
NW: When designing the looks for the Divas i used one main feature. For example ,Sky Hollywood has high cheekbones, so I made those popped by highlighting them to high heaven (chuckles)
Sexi Peppa has the most insane brows. I always add more hair strokes to create the illusion of a more brows which basically means wild and to keep them in place I add a brow gel.
Simma has such a cute nose and I just love doing a nose contour, so I’d always make that nose is as cute as a button.
Barbie’s got the most beautiful lips, so full and plump. I’d always focus on the perfect nude lipstick and matching liner.
Juicee Bunny has the most fantastic eyes, so I’d always play around with different colors especially bright ones because her eyes can take it, but without it being too over bearing.
Danielle D.I. has beautiful Asian shaped eyes, so I’d always focus on one shade of eye shadow, usually smoked out, but I’d not put the shadow underneath. I would continue then by using a brighter concealer underneath the eye. This allows the eye shadow to pop.
EPG: What products did you use on the Divas
NW: I used an array of products during the filming. My kit was loaded with the goodies form the best brands and of course my personal favorites. I focused firstly skin usually with MAC Studio comfort creme,Strobe creme, Prep and Prime primer. I used Brow pencil in Spiked. For eyes, I used Morphe, Huda Beauty,Urban Decay and for Foundation I used a number of brands including Fenty, Makeup Forever, Maybelline and MAC. For the lips,I used mostly MAC.
EPG: Can you share some of tips for success and longevity in the business
NW: My tips for success and longevity in the business would be to remain humble listen to your clients and work along side them. Never think you know it all. It is important to remain current and never stop learning. Treat every job with the same importance, not matter how big or small.
EPG: What’s next for Natasha?
NW: I am really looking forward to Season two of the Dancehall Divas series.
Natasha Wright is based in London can be contacted here.
